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Fourth on the list is "concerns about money for emergencies," a recent problem for 53% of respondents, followed by 43% who said "concerns about health in general." Thirty-six percent said they're worried about the illness of a family member and 36% said they don't have enough money for basic necessities.

When asked how stressed they feel, most of those surveyed -- 47% -- said they have "some" stress in their lives. But 23% said they have a lot of stress. Meanwhile 27% said not too much stress and 3% said none at all.

The fact that money woes were among the key concerns for many respondents didn't surprise Stephanie Marston, a practicing family therapist, stress-management expert and author of "30 Days to Sanity: Create a Life You Love."

"Money concerns are certainly a huge stressor for people. People are working long hours, there are two-income families -- and yet people are still struggling to make ends meet," she said. Marston is based in Santa Fe, N.M.

Sometimes stress worsens those money woes, she said. "When people are stressed out, rather than thinking about what they can do to reduce their stress, they often overshop, overeat, overdrink," she said.

"Our culture is so consumer oriented, we figure if we buy ourselves something nice, buy that new appliance, that new car, it's going to make us feel better. It may for a very brief period of time, but then the bills start coming and it just adds to the already overextended lifestyle we're living."

With age comes less stress

Surprisingly, the younger you are, the likelier you are to feel stressed, according to this survey.

Just 9% of those older than 60 said they have a lot of stress in their lives, compared with 29% of 18- to 29-years-old, 28% of those 30 to 41 years old and 25% of those 42 to 60 years old.

Meanwhile, women are more likely than men to cite heavy stress loads, with 29% of women saying they face a lot of stress versus 18% of men.

Thirty percent of households with children said they face a lot of stress compared with 20% of households without children.

But stress did not vary much across the income spectrum: 25% of those with income less than $15,000 said they face a lot of stress, compared with 23% who earn $75,000 or more.

Tips for coping

So, we're all facing some stress. What to do? First, figure out your priorities, Marston said.

"The notion that you can have it all is a myth. You can't have it all," she said. "Most people are simply living like rats on a treadmill. We're going through the motions of living."

To overcome that feeling, list your top priorities in life, she said. "It's important for people to slow down long enough to ask themselves, 'What's most important in my life? Is it my friends, my family, my faith, my finances, my physical well-being?'"

Then, every morning before starting your day, figure out which of your top priorities matters most -- and then focus on that priority that day, she said. For instance, your daughter has a soccer game. For that day, family is your priority and your goal is to attend that soccer game. "On another day, you might have a huge report due, so that's your priority. On another day of the week, you realize you haven't been to the gym for the entire week. On that day, self-care is a priority," she said.

"Do that on a daily basis. You have to be selective," she said. "Before you look at what you have to do, look at what you choose to do."

Attitude shift

Another strategy is to change your attitude towards stressful events, said Scott Sheperd, a psychologist and expert in stress management, based in Toledo, Ohio.

While it's not easy to do, with practice you can shift your thinking from negative thoughts to strategies for action, he said. For instance, when faced with a financial setback, say to yourself, "OK. This is the way it is. I don't have the money. There are two things I can do: How do I cut down on my spending, and how do I try to increase my income? Are there some strategies to do that?"

Training your mind to react to stressful situations is similar to going on a diet to lose weight, he said. First, you need to eat less fattening food. "This is like having fewer thoughts in your brain that make it worse. 'I'm an idiot, I'm no good, life is no good.' The less of that, the better," Sheperd said.

Then, along with cutting out the negative thoughts, think about strategies to improve the situation. "It's just like the more you exercise, it helps you to lose weight. So the more you do things that take you in a positive direction, the better. You start planning. You start writing down strategies," he said.

"Maybe it's asking for a raise. Maybe it's that you like to eat out a lot so you cut that out, or maybe you have to ask for a loan. But whatever it is, you start writing down strategies."

Finally, focus on the power you have to make choices, he said. For instance, if you feel too busy, ask yourself, "Who makes out my schedule?" Sheperd said.

"You don't have to do any of that stuff. You don't have to do it. That's easier said than done, and sometimes it's tricky. You can get stuck. But at some point you say, 'No. This is changing.'"

Too often, Sheperd said, people forget "there are options."

Recent worries

Here are the complete results to the survey's question, "Have you experienced the following in the past month?" Respondents could point to any of the following 14 options.

Rising prices, 74%
Too many things to do, 56%
Trouble sleeping, 53%
Concerns about money for emergencies, 53%
Concerns about health in general, 43%
Illness of a family member, 36%
Not enough money for basic necessities, 36%
Too much information to process at one time, 33%
Being lonely, 29%
Problems with your work, boss or fellow workers, 24%
Problems with aging parents, 21%
Frequent or excessive noise, 20%
Problems with my children, 19%
Abuse of your personal privacy, 13%

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